Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge

 The Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge is privately owned, spanning the West Fork of the Little River between Cloudmont Ski & Golf Resort and Shady Grove Dude Ranch, off Co. Rd. 614 in DeKalb County.

 The bridge was built sometime between 1863 and 1864 by Union Army troops over Otter Creek, now a dry creek bed, located near the town of Lincoln in either Talladega County or Calhoun County.

 The Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge was purchased in 1972 by Jack Jones, original owner of Cloudmont Ski & Golf Resort, and moved north to Lookout Mountain near Mentone. The covered section was built over an existing steel cable bridge in 1980.

The Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge is one of the five covered bridges in the state of Alabama built before 1950 that is still of existence today. It is not on the National Register of Historic Places, mostly because of being rebuilt and losing most of its integrity.

Today, the bridge mostly serves as a crossing for horseback riders on the trails to and from Shady Grove Dude Ranch.

Please be courteous to the property owners and ask permission before crossing the bridge.

256-634-4344

West Fork of Little River

That's our buggy peeking around the corner before crossing.

The Barnyard and Lirpa-Anad-Nitsud

Standing beside "The Barnyard" on Desoto Parkway (CR 89), about 1 1/2 miles south of Desoto State Park, you'll find Lirpa-Anad-Nitsud. A sentinal? A greeter? Or just an oddity created by Ekim Saggog to stir imaginations?

According to local information, The Barnyard was created to be an event center for, "Gatherin's. You know, gatherin's. Like signin's, family reunions or even weddin's an' such."

 I could see that there was something behind the building and curiosity compelled me to snoop. Walking through an opening in the fence, I was met by Zerk-Zing-Gugbloot, Ruler of Grits and Cornbread. There was also a dinosaur (with head support issues) and an ostirich back there. Sponge Bob bid me farewell as I exited the compound.

By the way, Lirpa-Anad-Nitsud backward is Dustin-Dana-April. The artist's kids? Whatever it means, thank you, Ekim Snaggog, for stirring our imaginations and curiosity.

Big Jim's Bama'Q

(256) 635-0208

10330 Al Hwy 117 
Hammondville, AL 35989

There's a colorful character in northeast Alabama who goes by the moniker of "Big Jim". Big Jim is friendly, jovial and a talker. Typical of someone who has pit smoke on their clothes and barbecue sauce in their veins.

Head north out of Fort Payne on US-11/AL-7 or west from Valley Head on AL-117 to Hammondville, AL.

If you take a slow blink when you reach this intersection, turn around. Your effort will be rewarded. As soon as you turn the corner toward Valley Head on AL-117, Big Jim's Bama Q will be right there.

If you love good barbecue, you've come to the right place. If you love good people, you've come to the right place. If you love an interesting twist, you've come to the right place. A twist, because upon entering Big Jim's Bama Q you can't miss the two dining rooms...the walls are covered with signatures. For years people have been writing their names all over Big Jim's walls.

The writing is on the walls at Big Jim's Bama Q

                                                                         

The story of the graffiti came from Big Jim, himself. He said that when he opened the doors of his establishment, his daughter had painted the walls a pristine white and wanted them to stay that way. A group of 4 Japanese travelers came in one day and wanted to try "one of everything!" Big Jim tried to explain that it would be a lot of food to try one of everything. But they were insistent. So, Big Jim's crew brought out one of everything. They ate it all! On the wall behind them, Big Jim wrote, "I ate one of everything at Big Jim's Bama Q", and had each of them sign their names below it. It didn't take long for other signatures to show up and eventually cover the walls. Two years ago the Japanese visitors returned...and once again they signed their names on the walls.

What good is a story about a barbecue joint if the food is left out? The pork was very flavorful, had great texture and was smoky without being bitter. Put the pulled pork in a sandwich and add as little or as much sauce as you want. Let the sauce soak into the bread and add homemade onion rings and you have a very tasty lunch! 

Yes! Yes! Definitely put Big Jim's Bama Q on your list of barbecue places you must try. Hopefully, Big Jim himself will be there to tell you the history of his building and feed you some excellent bbq.

Check out additional comments and recommendations for Big Jim's Bama Q at www.urbanspoon.com. 

Battelle

Battelle is listed as a ghost town, but this is all your going to see of it:

The dirt, single lane, county road has been gated by a private land owner.

I asked Big Jim, of Big Jim's Bama Q, about Battelle. He told me there was nothing left but a couple of dents in the ground.

...what a shame.

Bloomin Festival

Bloomin' Festival is a two day juried arts festival attracting thousands of visitors to the beautiful campus of St. Bernard Abbey and Prep School.  

Located adjacent to the school is the world famous Ave Maria Grotto.  The picturesque landscape of stone cut buildings on the grounds of Alabama's only Abbey provides a backdrop for the out-of-doors show.  

More than 140 booths are filled with artists demonstrating and exhibiting their work.  The festival is the largest fundraiser annually for the operation and maintenance of the school.

Ave Maria Grotto

Known throughout the world as "Jerusalem in Miniature," the Ave Maria Grotto is a beautifully landscaped, four-acre park designed to provide a natural setting for the 125 miniature reproductions of some of the most famous historic buildings and shrines of the world. 

The masterpieces of stone and concrete are the lifetime work of Brother Joseph Zoettl, a Benedictine monk of St. Bernard Abbey. Begun as a hobby, with various materials he could find, and infinite patience and a remarkable sense of symmetry and proportion, Brother Joseph re-created some of the greatest edifices of all time.

Janney Furnace Park

Located in Ohatchee, Al, Janney Furnace Park is also home to the Calhoun County Civil War Memorial and The Civil War and Native American Museum.

In mid-1863, Alfred A. Janney had the furnace constructed at this site due to the proximity of iron ore, lime stone for flux and abundance of hardwood trees for charcoal.



The furnace was built of local sandstone, employing 200 slaves. Their tool marks are clearly visible, indicative of the immense effort required to quarry, shape and lift the stone blocks in to position.

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After a skirmish at Ten Island Ford on July 14, 1864, Union Major General Lovell H. Rousseau learned of the nearby furnace. Captain Ed Ruger and a detail of men were dispatched to destroy the iron works. All wood structures were burned and the chimney above the furnace was demolished.

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The Calhoun County Confederate Memorial was dedicated June 1, 2003. The center panel is engraved with the names of 908 men from Calhoun County who perished during the war. The left panel, known as the General Lee panel, holds the names of those who fought in and survived the war and whose last names start with ‘A’ through ‘K’. The right panel is known as the Major John ‘Gallant’ Pelham panel and bears the names of those who fought in and survived the war whose names start with ‘L’ through ‘Z’.



On the hill above the Memorial Wall, stands the Daniel House. This preserved cabin was the home of Henry and Mary Ellen Daniel in 1843. The cabin was carefully moved from its original site on Daniel’s Rd and reconstructed at Janney Furnace Park.

The Janney Furnace Civil War and Native American Museum was opened October 17, 2009. The museum displays information and artifacts about civil war era and earlier Native American habitation in Calhoun County.

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To the east of the museum are the reenactment grounds. We attended a civil war skirmish reenactment on April 6, 2013.

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For more information, check out www.janneyfurnace.org



We highly recommend a visit to Janney Furnace Park.